April 4, 2011 Coats
Museum News﻿﻿﻿Carolyn Spears wrote in her Coats Chamber News that Coats
would celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Coats Farmers Day in
2012? Do you wonder what those first Farmers Days were like? We have a booklet
from one early community fair which gives an idea of what the early festivals
were like. Many of you will be pleasantly surprised to recognize the names of
relatives and to see how thorough the early organizers were in including all
areas of farm life. The booklet stated that the event eulogized, featured, and
starred the farmer as the main attraction. The writer continued that the
festival took on the appearance of a fair with exhibits depicting farm products
and prizes being awarded for the best in the exhibits.Regulations for the fair were simple and all persons living
in Harnett County were invited to display products and compete for premiums
paid for by the state authorities. The judges were supplied by the State
Department of Agriculture and their decisions were final. Who directed the
various exhibits that were judged? W.H. Turlington, B.F. Parrish, and Thomas
Webb directed the Department of Field Crops and Gardens and it had fifteen
categories. A second department was the Department of Orchard Products. Willie
Ennis, C.D. Stewart and John Sorrell were directors. They sought the best
display of pears, peaches, apples, and grapes. Were these products in season on
October 27, ?. A third department was the Livestock Department—Horses and
Mules. Someone won $4.00 for the best buggy horse. A fourth department was the
Livestock Department- Cattle. J.A. Parrish, H.M. Beasley, and B.F. Parrish were
directors. The best milk cow, any variety, milked and tested on the grounds, resulted
in the exhibitor winning $2.00. The directors of the Department for Sheep, Goats,
and Swine were A.D. Coats, H.A. Turlington, A.J. Godwin and A.B. Ryals. Best
boar, best pair of goats, and the Pine Woods Rooter with the longest nose were
judged in this division. Wonder how the judges determined which home-cured ham
and bacon were the best in this department?In the Poultry Department, A.F. Grimes, Dr. H.C. Roberts,
and W.F. Stone were directors. Turkeys, thoroughbred chickens, guineas, ducks,
and geese were judged for the best. A Department for Pantry and Dairy was
headed by Mrs. A.J. Godwin, Mrs. Owen Odum and Mrs. H.A. Turlington. The best
bread, cornbread, biscuits, cakes, canned pears, apples, peaches, pickles,
jams, butter, honey in comb, and buttermilk earned money for women over 20
years of age. Girls under 20 years of age had similar categories and were
directed by Dona Ennis, Lina Langdon, and Naomi Stewart.Miss Mary Green, Mrs. Stewart Turlington, Mrs. F.A. Dawson,
Miss Delphia Bailey, and Miss Hemie Ennis directed the Sewing Department for
both the young and older women. Wonder who had the best house dress, best
embroidered waist, best button holes and best homemade rugs? The Department of
Manual Arts was headed by Jonah Johnson, Lee Turlington, and Paul Strickland.
They sought the best rustic chair, waste basket, split basket, corn scrub mop,
flour and meal chest, ironing board and butter mold, clover seed stripper and
bee gum. With all the tasks demanded of farm families, when did they have time
do make all of those items?Did the organizers leave any farm category out? It appears
that they did not. Mrs. J.R. Turlington, Misses Mattie Bain and Hettie Ennis
directed the Plants and Flower Department. Ida Coats, Alva Turlington, and Lina
Langdon directed an exhibit by the Tomato Club Girls who canned vegetables and
fruits. W.H. Turlington, Thomas Webb, and B.F. Parrish looked for the best
display of the best six ears and corn stalks from the Boys Corn Club Exhibit.
Marion Ennis and L.L. Turlington directed the Old Men’s Corn Club. You must be wondering where in Coats was this all going on.
Is that information lost on the pages of time?Wait-there are three final exhibits. Thomas Webb, G.F. Pope, P.E. Pope
and G.W. Tilghman directed the Department of Manufacturing which judged the
best crown moulding, wainscoting, collection of brick, springless window shade
and other wood products. Even the school kids were judged in the Education
Exhibit. Mary Green, Esther Bivins, and B. F. Gentry selected the best outline
map of N.C., best watercolor, best reed basket, best poem and neatest booklet
of memory gems. The last exhibit was the Miscellaneous Department directed
by Joe Penny, Sr., Rodolphus Ennis, and Claud D. Stewart who looked for the
best relics from early Scottish settlements, Revolution War, Civil War, and
Indian artifacts. The largest ear of corn, sweet potato, Irish potato, pumpkin
and gourd won prizes. Wow-what a day it must have been. How different this event
is from the current Farmers Days. The event undoubtedly gave the farmers a
chance to shine for their leadership and agricultural skills. A special thank you to the Fletcher Flowers family for the
artifacts given to the museum. Have you ever seen a device used to make a
walking stick? That is only one of the many items given by Conrey and Sandra
that will tell our young museum visitors what life was like in days past.Please be mindful
that this article was published in the Daily
Record in April of 2011.﻿﻿﻿